was unsuccessful with a margin of 549 votes (3.9%). He stood again in 1885, this time for South Sydney but was again unsuccessful with a margin of 882 votes (6.1%). A week later he was elected for Queanbeyan, with the assistance of the Queanbeyan Age, edited by his friend, John Gale and Louis Heydon, the member for Yass Plains. He held the seat until 1904. In September 1899, O'Sullivan became Secretary for Public Works in the Lyne ministry, and held the same position when John See became Premier until June 1904. During his period of Works administration he spent £126,700 on roads and bridges out of revenue, and £1,341,341 out of loans on roads, harbours and rivers, and buildings. On water conservation works he spent £196,600, and on railways £2,964,400. On tramways he expended over half a million; on metropolitan water works another half-million. Country towns water supplies took £172,000, while a quarter of a million more went for sewerage and stormwater drainage. A further £40,000 odd was devoted to the Hunter water supply. Central railway station was described in his obituary as the chief monument to his genius, while The Bulletin was less complimentary, describing his sketch for it as having "all the salient features of the Colosseum, St Paul's, the Kremlin and a Yankee skyscraper". O'Sullivan held office for a few weeks in the Waddell ministry in 1904 as Secretary for Lands. He switched to Belmore from 1904 which he represented for six years. He was elected an alderman on the City of Sydney for Cook Ward in December 1906, serving until his death in April 1910. Of his later years, The Sydney Morning Herald said "He did good work, not only in the council, but on the health, finance, and works committees. He spoke seldom, but always to the point, and was regular in his attendance both at council and in committee. But it was not the O'Sullivan of 20, or even 10, years back. He was unobtrusive rather than assertive. He did not bring to the council the fiery enthusiasm of his earlier days. His step had become less firm, and he lacked the strong grip of affairs which had been his". Death O'Sullivan died at Mosman of blood poisoning after a protracted illness. He was married, and left a widow, two sons and three daughters. Literary works O'Sullivan had three melodramas produced: Cooee Eureka Stockade